Rest in Peace, My Beloved
by WobblyJelly
Summary: Even as she lost her balance and fell to the ground out of shock and exhaustion, she trusted Garry to catch her. And he did. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: Well, if you look _really _closely, like, if you use a microscope on a microscope on a microscope, you might be able to see the teeny tiny word "WobblyJelly" right at the bottom of the opening Ib page. Well, you know, if you look closely enough.**

**I managed to draw that picture for my story cover too. Yeah, I used my gigantic, troll-like hands to draw that beautiful painting that won me a Nobel Prize. Don't ask me how that works, I am just that awesome.**

**Well, that disclaimer was long (and pointless), so I'll just shorten it for you:**

**Me no own, you no sue.**

* * *

_Rest in Peace, My Beloved._

The first time Ib saw him, he was face-flat on the ground, withering away in silent agony.

A certain feeling overcame her, she couldn't really explain it- all she knew was that she really wanted to help this person, this purple haired man who was in so, so much pain. She just had to help him.

And so she did something brave, daring, and incredibly stupid.

She went to get his rose back.

It was worth the scratches, though, when she saw his body move, his pain relieved, his gleaming purple eyes glance up to view the world again, to see her.

She bent down to have a better look at him.

His mouth was slightly open in awe, his hair falling around his face in a messy heap.

Ib thought they looked like seaweed.

Pretty, long, purple seaweed.

She held out his rose expectantly, silently waiting.

He was still staring.

Slowly, but surely, he moved. He took the rose back from her graciously.

"What's this." His voice sounded uncertain. "The pain's gone."

Ib could only smile.

* * *

_"W...wait. Could you have been...someone from the gallery?!"_

_"I see... So you don't have any idea how things got to this point, either."_

_"Well, I'm Garry. And you are?"_

_"HYEEEEEK!"_

_"...I was just a bit startled! Really, that's all!"_

* * *

As they made their way along, she learned a couple things about him.

She learned that his name was Garry.

She also learned that he was what her mom loves to call a 'scaredy cat', gets easily 'startled' by everything he sees, hears, touches or smells, and that he screams like a little girl.

She thought of him as a teammate, a partner to get through this little maze. She thought of him as a friend, someone she could rely on, even if they got themselves knee-deep in trouble. She had confidence that he would never leave her side, that they would get through this together, no matter what hell or monster or moving evil red lady they had to face.

It was all that she thought about, even as they ran away from the moving sculptures and crazy paintings, even as she saw, with wide fearful eyes, her parents hung up on the wall like a pretty portrait, even as she lost her balance and fell to the ground out of shock and exhaustion, she trusted Garry to catch her.

And he did.

* * *

_"__Huh? The people in this painting are your dad and mom?"_

_"Aha, they do resemble you a bit, Ib..."_

_"Morning, Ib. How are you feeling?"_

_"Ib, would you take a look in the pocket of that coat?"_

_"You can have that. Feel free to eat it."_

* * *

"Why do you talk like a lady?"

The question had just slipped out, really. She hadn't meant to be rude. She slapped a hand over her mouth as soon as those words left her lips. Garry, however, simply laughed it off.

"'Like a lady'...? Perhaps so... But, hm... I can't quite remember," he thought aloud. "I just took to it, I suppose. After all," he added with a soft smile. "It's preferable to be gentle rather than rough, hm?"

She nodded silently, unsure of what to say.

Another moment passed before he suddenly asked, "Oh, Ib. How old are you?"

She replied with a simple "Nine."

"...Nine?" he said, astonished. "Wow, that's pretty young..."

She merely smiled.

"But art galleries are really enthralling at your age," he started again. "I'm a bit bored of them myself..."

She was just going to pretend she knows what 'enthralling' means.

It was just a little while more before Garry said again, "Say, Ib, you've got some pretty good fashion sense, huh? I mean, your clothes... they use some fine-quality cloth, don't they?"

She pointed out that her mother picked these out for her, while she fiddled with the hem of her skirt.

"...Well," he said. "I don't believe that changes the fact of being a girl of good fashion."

She proceeds to point his tattered coat out to him.

His eyes widen slightly in surprise. "Hm? My coat's all torn a ragged?" And then he chuckled slightly. "No, no! That's on purpose! That's just the design!"

But then he thinks for a moment and adds, "Though to be sure, I have been wearing it for many years now as well."

Suddenly, he glanced down. "I was so focused on getting out of here... I didn't really look after you. Sorry, Ib."

She doesn't really know what to say to that either.

"Now that I think of it, you were travelling all alone until you met me..." he said, smiling at her. "That's nothing to sneeze at. I mean, that's brave."

A soft pink blush caressed Ib's cheeks.

* * *

_"Ib, have you heard of milk puzzles?_

_"Well, as the name implies, it's a puzzle where all the pieces are white like milk. Since there's no picture on them, they're much harder than regular puzzles. Very smart people can finish them in no time at all, but..._

_"To be honest, they're not exciting, since they don't even make a picture in the end... It feels much more worth it to do __a puzzle of a picture you like."_

* * *

"_Abyss of the Deep..."_

* * *

They walked into the room slowly, preparing for any surprises.

Ib went over to one of the bookshelves and picked out a book that was jutting out slightly.

She found it quite difficult to read. She couldn't even read the title.

_UhIdon'tknowthisword... _by the ..._anotherwordIdon'tknow..._ I ..._don'tknow..._ my finger over her beautiful ..._don'tknowthiswordtoo..._ With her ..._umreallyconfusedhere..., _she...

Suddenly Garry came and closed the book.

"Don't read this kind of stuff until you get older," he simply said, voice flat.

She didn't question him.

* * *

_"Ahh!"_

_"Ah, I knew it! Well, would you like to come with us?_

_"Oh! What's your name?"_

_"Mary..."_

_"Say...seeing as Ib and I both have roses... Mary, do you have a rose as well?"_

_"...Yeah, I do! A yellow rose!"_

_"Ah, it's true! You two keep those safe. Don't you dare lose it. And don't give it to anyone. And..."_

_"Wooow, Ib's rose is reeed! My rose is yellooow! I like yellow, but I also like pink! Oh, and blue!"_

_"...Learn to listen, would you?"_

* * *

_"...the love of... This painting, this room... Why must it be so unsettling?!"_

_"Huh? Really? I think it's cute... What about Ib?"_

* * *

_"Ib, watch out!"_

* * *

_"We might find something to get rid of these in another room. Should we go look?"_

_"Be careful, you two!"_

* * *

_"__I think I'll hold on to this...You know, just in case..."_

* * *

_"Hey, uh, Ib...if only two of us can get out of here, then what?"_

* * *

_"...I'd surrender myself."_

* * *

_"Mary?"_

_"...Mary...I'm Mary..."_

_Oho, ohohohoho, ohohohohohohohoho... __Ahaha, ahahahahahahahaha..._

_"I am Maaaary, I am Maaaaaary, __I am Maaaaaaary, __I am Maaaaaaaary, __I am Maaaaaaaaary, __I am Maaaaaaaaaary, I am Maaaaaaaaaaaary, I am Maaaaaaaaaaaaaary, I am Maaaaaaaaaaary...ohohohohohohoho hohohohoho..."_

_"In my way, in my way, in my way, in my WAY."_

* * *

_"Ib...don't leave me..._

_________"Wait, Ib..__________..There's stairs over there too...I'm going with you!"_

* * *

_"...that...so?...heehee..._

_"Ahahahaha...oh, sure. Sometimes...yeah, yeah..._

_"...Don't see that everyday, right? I just ran out, you see..._

_"Oh, I really love it. But it takes a while for sure..._

_"Oh, you too! Why, we certainly do get along, don't we? Ohohoho..."_

* * *

"...Garry..."

Her eyes were wide.

But she couldn't bear to see the sight.

_"Hoho! You're really quite entertaining, you know that? I feel like I could talk to you about my every __worry...ahahahaha..."_

They...they found him, at least.

But at the same time, they...didn't.

_"Huh! Never heard of that before...can you give me the details? No, no, I won't tell anyone! Your secret's safe with me!"_

What had happened to him?

What had happened to Garry?

What had they done to him?

_"Whaa-? I don't believe it! Really? Are you for real? 'Cause that's disgusting! Who'd do that to a girl? If I saw that happening, I'd tell them off for sure!_

_"Troubled? I know the feeling. You just feel helpless sometimes. You know you can't run away, but nothing goes well either...Wonder why..._

_"Sigh..._

_"...Yeah, that works too. It's nice to not have to think...Just forgetting the bad things...ahaha, oh yes! I'm with you __there!"_

Garry...

Mary was saying something behind her, but she could barely register it. She couldn't even feel herself anymore.

Garry...

No.

She fell to her knees right in front of him, staring at his glassy eyes and his hollow, crooked smile in tears.

What did they do to you?

Come back to me, Garry! I need you!

GARRY, SNAP OUT OF IT!

_Slap!_

Her hand had struck itself across his face before she had time to stop herself.

She couldn't stop the tears that rolled slowly down her cheeks, nor could she stop the silent sob that escaped her lips. She averted her eyes to the floor, letting her fringe fall around her eyes like a shield away from the darkness that had befallen him, befallen her precious Garry. She was breathing hard. Her hand was shaking.

"Garry..."

Garry, please, come back.

_Come back to me, please._

And then, slowly but surely, the glassy look in his eyes started to fade, turning back into their usual gleam. The smile dropped. He blinked twice.

"...Oh," he said when he saw her. "...Ib?"

She could hardly believe her ears.

He's back. He's really back.

"N-no way..." she heard Mary say. They shared the same astonishment.

He looked around his surroundings a bit, looking a tiny bit confused. "Ah, uh..." he started, scratching his head. "I don't really know hat's going on, but...what were we doing?"

She felt tears swelling up in her eyes again, but for different reasons.

_He's really back._

And then, not caring about where they were or who they were with, or whatever consequences they would have to face, she jumped forward and wrapped his arms around him tightly, pulling him into a strong embrace.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed. "I-Ib?!"

She didn't care about anything else right now. She didn't care that later they would have to go out and face all those scary monsters again and all those creepy paintings again. All she cared about now was that Garry, darling precious

Garry, was safe. She hugged him tighter, not caring whether she was suffocating him or not.

His shocked face wore off after a moment, turning into a warm and true smile, one that shone down on Ib like a ray of beautiful sunshine. "...My, well...I'm not too sure what happened," he said, still a little uncertain. "But you must have been worried. Sorry about that...Ib..."

And then he wrapped his arms around her too, and it was in that moment when Ib felt that she never wanted to let go.

* * *

_"My memory's a bit messy, so I can't remember what I was doing..."_

_"Well, you don't really need to remember, do you? At least we're back together!"_

_"I suppose that's true... but I feel like I'm forgetting something important..."_

* * *

_"Mary, you dropped something."_

_"Don't touch that!"_

_"Mary?! What's that you're holding?!"_

_"Give it BACK!"_

* * *

There were yells, there were screams, were was a shining silver palette knife.

It all died down when Garry rendered her unconscious.

He was panting slightly, his eyes gleaming with understanding. "...Mary...It's as I thought..."

He turned to face Ib, who had been hiding behind Garry all this time, too afraid to face the terror of what Mary had suddenly become.

"Ib, listen, I remember now," he started softly but firmly. "I saw a portrait of Mary in a collection of Guertena's works."

What?

"You might not believe it, but...Mary isn't human."

Disbelief took over her features.

What...then what was all...after everything they had...

But wait.

_...Mary...I'm Mary..._

"She's just like those painting women who came after us...I think she's another of Guertena's works."

_Oho, ohohohoho, ohohohohohohohoho..._

_Ahaha, ahahahahahahahaha..._

The deranged voice were like a nail on a chalk board, playing continuously in her head.

"I didn't spend enough time with her to really notice, but...it's dangerous to stay with her."

_I am Maaaary, I am Maaaaaary, __I am Maaaaaaary, __I am Maaaaaaaary, __I am Maaaaaaaaary, __I am Maaaaaaaaaary, I am __________Maaaaaaaaaaaary, I am Maaaaaaaaaaaaaary, I am Maaaaaaaaaaary...ohohohohohohoho hohohohoho..._

Ib's eyes narrowed. Mary...

"It's unfortunate...but we'll have to leave her."

_In my way...in my way...in my way..._

_In. My. WAY._

Ib gave out a slight shudder.

She took Garry's hand and they made their move on, not glancing back even once.

Now all that's important is her, Garry, and their way out, wherever that was.

Besides, she guessed that she never really trusted that Mary anyway.

* * *

_"Whew...just how many statues have I pushed today...?"_

_"Well this is a significant change in atmosphere...but there's nothing we can't handle! Let's go, Ib!"_

* * *

_The pink key is always kept in the toy box._

* * *

_"Ib...Garry...Where are you?"_

_"...Don't tell me...that was... __She's after us..."_

_"'Pandora's box', huh..."_

* * *

"Say, Ib...have you heard of macaroons?" asked Garry out of the blue.

She shook her head.

His eyes suddenly started to shine, even brighter than the sun they were currently bathing in. An enormous grin broke out on his features.

"They're these pastries shaped like hamburgers!" he rattled, the grin never once leaving his face. "Just the other day, I had one at a cafe, and it was sooo tasty! It was really really good! Even the cream wasn't too sweet!"

Ib watched in interest as he ranted on about this fascinating 'macaroons'. She watched his undying energy, his never-ending warmth that radiated off him like he was the sun itself. She felt her eyes gleam with his.

"So, uh," he said, a little shy, scratching the back of his head. "if we got out of here, could we go there together?" then he paused for a while and added, "...No, wait. We WILL be going there! And we will get out! I promise!"

And then he smiled at her, just as he did so many times before! But for some reason, this felt different. Brighter, somehow.

She nodded enthusiastically at his words, smiling back just as brightly.

* * *

_"This is the toy box? It's rather big. Is there really a key n there, I wonder...?"_

_"Wanna see?"_

"_Ooh? What's this? A present for me? Yaaay, it's so preeeetty! Can I have it? Oh thank you!"_

"_That...can't be..."_

* * *

"Mary!"

The blonde haired girl glanced up and looked at them in surprise.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Ib and Garry! Did you find what you were looking for?"

Ib backed away a little, tightening her grip on Garry's hand as she watched her rose in Mary's hands.

The Mary that is a painting.

The Mary that tricked them.

The Mary that was once her friend.

She could feel Garry's stare burning holes into Mary's head.

"But anyway, lookit!" Mary herself, though, seemed completely oblivious to the two's uneasiness, twisting the red rose in her hand like a toy. "I just got this! Pretty, isn't it!"

"Mary...that rose..." Garry tried weakly.

"Huh?...Ahh! You mean this is Ib's? I thought I'd seen it before!"

"Mary, please...Give that back to Ib."

Her life was now in the hands of a murderer.

"Huh? I wonder..." she trudged lightly towards Ib, staring at her intently. "Ib...You want this back?"

"Yes."

The answer was swift. Simple. They didn't have time to play games.

Mary frowned. "Well...hm..." suddenly, her smile came back. "Wanna trade Garry's rose?"

Ib's eyes widened in disbelief. _What?!_

"Garry's rose is blue right?" continued Mary in a tone that set off the warning bells in Ib's head. She trudged around Ib, glancing thoughtfully above her. "I like red and all, but I like blue even moooore! See, the doll's blue too!" she said happily, gesturing to the monstrosity beside her. "Isn't she cute?"

Ib gritted her teeth. She sounded so...what was that word her mother used..._obnoxious._ She was holding onto one lifeline and expecting to grasp onto another. She was...she was _mocking _them!

"...so?" came Mary's voice again, like a bullet to the head. "Wanna trade?"

No. Absolutely not.

Ib would not allow it.

She was _not _letting Garry sacrifice his rose, sacrifice _himself _for h-

"Oogh..."

She turned to stare at him. Unbelievable.

He was actually considering it?!

He caught her gaze and sighed. "Don't give me that look, Ib...Don't worry, I'll be fine." he smiled at her. "Just leave it to me."

Tears got themselves caught in her eyes again.

How could he expect that?

How could he think that?

How could he smile at a time like this?!

But then he turned away from her, and she knows she can't stop him.

"Understood," he said in a calm and collected voice. "Please, give me Ib's rose in exchange for mine."

He holds out his rose.

Mary gasped. "Really? You sure?"

He hesitated for a moment. "Y-yes..."

_Garry, don't do it! Please! I can't let you let yourself die!_

_I can't escape without you! I _won't _escape without you!_

_GARRY, DON'T-_

Mary snatched the rose from his hand and drops Ib's one on the ground. She smiled delightfully. "Heehee...Yaaay!...Pretty pretty flower...Ahahahahaha..." She turned around and walked away from their sight.

Ib simply stared after the once beautiful blue rose as it gets carried away by its new owner. The tears start to fall again.

She feels a hand on her shoulder. She turns to see her red rose, looking as vibrant as ever, in the hands of the best person in the universe. He smiles at her. "Be careful with it."

The tears don't stop. They can't stop. "I'm sorry."

He chuckled. "Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong, Ib, right? So don't look so down!"

She looks down. She can't bring herself to face him.

"And as for my rose...well, we'll just have to catch Mary and get it back!" he said chirpily, holding out a hand for her. "Let's do our best! I know we're almost there!"

She glances up at him. His courage, his strength, his positive way of thinking.

And then she grabs his hand and holds on to it tighter than ever.

She will get his rose back. She won't let him die.

She would never forgive herself if she did.

* * *

_"Loves me, loves me not..."_

* * *

Blue petals? What...?

Beside her, Garry gasped in pain.

Her eyes widened.

* * *

_"Loves me, loves me not..."_

* * *

She saw his eyelids droop.

She was losing him...

Come on, just a little further!

They'll catch her! They'll catch her and they'll make it out together just like he promised!

* * *

_"Loves me, loves me not..."_

* * *

He falls behind her.

"...Ib...um..."

She hears Garry's voice behind her and she stops to turn around, waiting for him to catch up with her.

But he looks like he can go no further.

"Sorry, but...could you go on ahead?"

He's short on breath. His voice is weak. Ib doesn't like this.

She runs to his side and kneels beside him, grabbing a fistful of his coat.

_Garry..._

"I'm...uh..." he takes a moment to catch his breath. "I'm sorry...I don't really know what to say..." he lets out a short laugh.

She doesn't laugh back.

In fact, she is petrified.

Garry sees that, and his own eyes soften.

"I don't want to lie to you..." he said, honesty ringing in every word uttered. "But I...don't want to tell you the truth either..."

His eyelids were drooping. He clutched his heart, and Ib knew that he was experiencing tremendous pain.

But even in the midst of all that, he manages to offer her a smile.

Ib's hands moved from his coat to his shirt, clutching it so tightly she swore she was never going to let go.

"If you need help...I'll come running..." he manages to wheeze out, breathing explicitly hard now. "Go on...ahead..."

The tears start to fall again, but Ib understands what she has to do.

She nods at Garry, hoping that he can still see her, and runs towards the exit.

_She has to get that rose back!_

* * *

_"Loves me, loves me not..."_

* * *

Come on, just a bit further...

* * *

_"Loves me, loves me not..."_

* * *

Almost there-!

* * *

_"Loves me. He loves me!_

_"I knew it, he loooves me!"_

* * *

GARRY, NO!

No no no no no No NO!

GARRY!

* * *

She watched his sleeping figure, resting so peacefully against the crayon wall. She reaches out to him.

"Garry...?"

No response.

She tries again, laying a hand on his cheek. "Garry...?"

His skin is cold.

She knows she's lost him for good.

___"Well, I'm Garry. And you are?"_

_"Would you take a look in the pocket of that coat?"_

_"You can have that. Feel free to eat it."_

_"Now that I think of it, you were travelling all alone until you met me...That's nothing to sneeze at. I mean, that's brave."_

She couldn't stop herself. She breaks out into uncontrollable sobs, tears running down her face like a waterfall. She hugs him tightly, crying out for him, screaming for him, wishing that he were still here.

Garry, how could you?

___"Ib, have you heard of milk puzzles?_

_"...My, well...I'm not too sure what happened, but you must have been worried. Sorry about that...Ib..."_

Why did you give her your rose?

Why did you set yourself up for an endless nightmare?

_"Well this is a significant change in atmosphere...but there's nothing we can't handle! Let's go, Ib!"_

_"Say, Ib...have you heard of macaroons?" _

_"So, uh... If we got out of here, could we go there together?...No, wait. We WILL be going there! And we will get out! I promise!"_

I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE WITHOUT YOU! COME BACK, PLEASE!

Suddenly, she feels a lump on the pocket of his coat. She reaches in.

A lighter.

Suddenly, she felt something burn in her like never before. Her eyes narrowed.

She stood up.

_"Please, give me Ib's rose in exchange for mine."_

_"Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong, Ib, right? So don't look so down!... __And as for my rose...well, we'll just have to catch Mary and get it back!" he said chirpily, holding out a hand for her. "Let's do our best! I know we're almost there!"_

She was going to go after _her._ It was because of _her _that Garry couldn't keep their promise, that they can't go home together. It's _her _fault they got into this mess in the first place.

_"I don't want to lie to you... But I...don't want to tell you the truth either..._

_"If you need help...I'll come running..."_

_She _has to pay for this mess. _She _has to compensate for taking Garry away from her.

And boy, was Ib going to make her _pay._

* * *

**A/N: SO! I'm writing this at 2 in the morning, and I don't think I need any sleep now because I seriously just spooked myself out. Bad.**

**So this took me half a day to write. Well, that's because most of the dialogue -well, all of it, really- you see was actually taken out from the game, and to do that I had to go through the walkthroughs to copy out the conversations ON PAPER, and then I had to choose the correct conversations to type in this story. And then because a few parts I couldn't find on the walkthrough, I had to go through the WHOLE FREAKING GAME just to get to that part, copy it out, and then type it again in this story.**

**It's a very tiring process.**

**So hope you guys like it, even though it might suck bad. I mean, Ib screws with your mind, all the time. Doesn't matter how many times you play it, or watch it, it practically SCREWS WITH YOUR MIND. So...yeah, I wrote this while watching pewdiepie videos, so hopefully I'll manage to get at least an hour of sleep.**

**Please review and do all my hard work justice! (because seriously, I'm dying right now.)**


End file.
